How come I was born a deity?

Chapter 5: Wow, Old Deng, that's an interesting ability of yours!

However, since it's a matter for tomorrow, Chen Qi decided it was better to leave it to himself to handle tomorrow.

Now that he's encountered something new, and the novelty hasn't worn off yet, Chen Qi decides to thoroughly study this so-called Book of Escape Techniques.

Only when one mobilizes spiritual energy into their body and condenses the first star can one be considered a formal cultivator.

According to the Heavenly Book of Dunjia, he needed to condense more stars to successively break through the second stage of cultivation.

Using spiritual energy as paper and stars as a brush, what is drawn is the essential item for those who have stepped into the second stage of cultivation: a star map.

However, according to the contents of the Book of Escape Techniques, it seems that drawing a star map requires a large number of stars. Therefore, the few scattered stars that Chen Qi currently has are of no use at all. He can only leave them there for now and wait for himself to condense more stars.

"This cultivation is indeed not simple," Chen Qi thought to himself. "The process of condensing stars is so boring. I wonder how everyone else gets through this boring time."

Thankfully, he only thought it to himself. If he had said it aloud and Shen Nianxu had heard it, she probably would have dumped a trash can on his head.

The process of condensing stars is indeed tedious, but the process of drawing spiritual energy into the body and then condensing it into stars under control is not easy and requires a great deal of concentration.

Let alone being bored, this process is exceptionally fulfilling for cultivators, so fulfilling that they might even want to die.

Chen Qi, who could just sit there and listen to Shen Nianxu explain the settings of the cultivation world and generate endless bursts of stars, would probably be thought by any cultivator to have gone mad and started fantasizing about such impossible things.

Shen Nianxu was also sitting at the bar, holding her phone, looking at the rent and utility bills, and sighing helplessly.

Ring ring—

The door to the bookstore was suddenly pushed open.

Chen Qi and Shen Nianxu both looked up at the person walking in through the glass door.

He was an elderly man with slightly graying temples, but he was dressed very elegantly, wearing a sharp brown suit, and his two small, curled mustaches looked like they were pasted on.

He held a snake-headed cane in his hand, tapping it lightly on the floor of the bookstore, making a thumping sound.

The old man took off the knitted scarf from his neck and hung it on the coat rack by the entrance, asking, "Excuse me, is the owner of the bookstore here?"

Upon seeing the elderly man walk in, Shen Nianxu abruptly stood up from the stool. "Uncle Wang? What brings you here?"

The old man, addressed as Uncle Wang, smiled slightly and walked into the bookstore with his cane. "I just happened to be passing by and took a look. I was already here, but when I saw that young man from the He family walk out of the bookstore, I waited a while to avoid suspicion."

Shen Nianxu quickly made way for Uncle Wang at the bar, saying, "Uncle Wang, please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"No need," Uncle Wang said with a kind smile, looking very amiable. He looked at Chen Qi in the reading area and asked, "And this gentleman is...?"

Shen Nianxu quickly called Chen Qi over, "Let me introduce you. This is Wang Shande. We usually call him Uncle Wang. He is the official representative of Qingcheng. Even the He family from earlier had to give him face."

Chen Qi nodded, and a tenth star appeared above his head. "Hello, Uncle Wang."

"Uncle Wang, this is a new employee we just hired today," Shen Nianxu asked with a smile. "Guess who he is?"

Wang Shande stared at Chen Qi's face for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know him."

"He is the son and last disciple of the esteemed Chen Fuzhou!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shande immediately realized what was going on and laughed, saying, "Oh, so it's his son! I didn't recognize him at first. Now that you mention it, I think the father and son really look alike."

Chen Qi: "..."

Brother, I was picked up by my dad. How could I possibly look like him?

If they all look alike, wouldn't that be a huge problem?

Shen Nianxu briefly explained why Chen Qi had come here. Wang Shande nodded slightly after listening, "I see... Have you confirmed it? Does he have the aptitude to become a cultivator?"

"Yes," Shen Nianxu nodded, "His talent seems to be quite good, at least he hasn't tarnished Senior Chen's reputation."

Wang Shande understood, then pointed to the stars that kept popping up on Chen Qi's forehead and asked, "Then... what are those things on his head?"

"The stars!" Shen Nianxu said, "These are all the stars he condensed."

Wang Shande looked puzzled. "It's a good thing that stars are condensing, but why are they popping up like magicians? Is this some kind of performance?"

"No," Chen Qi explained himself this time, "this is something I just condensed."

As he spoke, the twelfth star appeared.

Wang Shande: "?"

Are you saying that the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth stars that appeared from the moment I entered were all ones you just created?

Seeing Wang Shande's surprised expression, Shen Nianxu felt as if she had found a kindred spirit and cried out, "Look, Uncle Wang, this is very abnormal, isn't it? I think so too. Senior Chen must have already taught him how to cultivate, and then he's just playing with me!"

Wang Shande took out a handkerchief from his chest pocket and wiped his forehead.

Is that how it is?

He said, how could anyone condense three stars so quickly? Even Chen Fuzhou himself used to need a whole day to condense one star.

If this young man named Chen Qi could do the work that others do in three days in just a few minutes, wouldn't he be a god?

Chen Qi was also helpless. He had already explained himself, but they didn't believe him. He really had no other choice.

"Cough cough," after wiping his sweat, Wang Shande stuffed the handkerchief back into his chest. "Since we've already recruited new people, have you thought about competing for the year-end leadership election?"

"When the previous boss was in charge, although he had a bad temper, which made many people in Qingcheng dissatisfied, he was quite efficient, and the authorities also had a good impression of your bookstore."

"If you are considering running for office, I can offer some assistance."

Shen Nianxu looked somewhat embarrassed by this.

"Uncle Wang, I am really grateful that you are willing to help us, but as you know, I am not qualified to participate in the election, so..." Shen Nianxu's gaze shifted to Chen Qi, "Only he can participate, and he is a newcomer."

"Even a genius of Senior Chen's caliber would find it difficult to reach a level where he can compete with those big shots before the end of the year."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shande also turned around and glanced at Chen Qi, sizing him up and down.

"Indeed," Wang Shande nodded, "His spiritual energy content is very low. He is indeed a complete newcomer, and it will be difficult for him to demonstrate sufficient strength by the end of the year."

"Furthermore, besides the most basic cultivation, there are also 'techniques' to learn..."

As he spoke, Wang Shande pointed with his right hand, and the snake-headed cane in his hand suddenly flew up, as if he were showing off his so-called "kung fu".

"Cultivation and learning both take time. If I had another six months, I might be able to compete."

Watching the snake-head cane land smoothly on the bar, Shen Nianxu nodded in agreement, "The previous boss died at such an inopportune time that there wasn't enough time to find a suitable replacement."

There was a moment of silence between them. Shen Nianxu suddenly noticed that the snake-headed cane on the bar had flown up again. Her brows furrowed slightly. "Uncle Wang, has your ability not been dispelled yet?"

Wang Shande was taken aback. "It must have been deactivated, otherwise it would be such a waste of spiritual energy to keep the cane flying around like that."

Shen Nianxu: "...Then, why is your cane still flying around?"

Turning around abruptly, Wang Shande looked at the bar and indeed found his cane floating in mid-air, maintaining a certain distance from the bar table.

Um? ?

Seemingly sensing the fluctuations in spiritual energy, Wang Shande and Shen Nianxu suddenly turned around and looked at Chen Qi, who was sitting next to the bar with more than a dozen stars floating on his forehead.

Chen Qi's eyes were full of curiosity about this new thing, and he exclaimed, "Wow, Lao Deng, your ability is quite interesting. This is the first time I've ever picked something up from a distance."

Wang Shande: "???"

Shen Nianxu: "???"

What the hell is going on?